North Point Isabel Park Cap Resilience Project

Through a funding partnership with California State Parks, the proposed project seeks to beautify and improve the project site’s resilience to sea level rise by enhancing the existing remedial cap to provide long-term, sustainable recreational use of the park through effective grading, drainage, and planting to prevent soil erosion.

You can read the complete proposal here: https://ceqanet.lci.ca.gov

Public Comments are accepted until 10/20/2025.

PIDO’s Comment Submitted to EBRPD (10/3/2025):

In PIDO’s view, the Project will enhance community access and provide substantial benefits to visitors to Point Isabel. It aligns with PIDO’s mission of keeping Point Isabel off leash, clean and safe for all users.

Paved Paths in North Point Isabel

PIDO supports the EBRPD’s plan to pave the paths in North Point Isabel, which will improve access and ease of use for people whose mobility challenges may require the use of assistive devices ill-suited to the current gravel paths. While the proposed increased grade of the North Point Isabel hill may prevent access to that area for some visitors, PIDO believes the Project will improve overall access in the long run because: (a) the increased grade would appear to drastically improve drainage at North Point Isabel, hopefully preventing the formation of large rainwater pools that, as things are now, make some areas in North Point Isabel impassable; (b) if North Point Isabel is subsumed by sea level rise, no one will have access; and (c) the clay cap over the former “Battery Point” desperately needs repair in order to maintain safe use by everyone.

Landscaping and Foxtails

Perhaps unintentionally, the Project may remediate a scourge to dog owners: foxtails. Despite PIDO’s attempts at weeding and mitigation of this tenacious plant, dog owners currently contend with potentially injurious foxtails for at least half of the year. As such, replacing the current brush with native plants and natural turf will be especially welcome. Hopefully, this large-scale renovation will eradicate foxtails in North Point Isabel and make it possible for park managers to prevent them from re-emerging. 

New Fencing

The Project’s proposed fencing would restrict longstanding canine privileges to access Hoffman Bay at high tide. Some PIDO members have enjoyed letting their dogs swim responsibly for decades in Hoffman Bay, a location some dogs prefer to the often-choppy waters of the San Francisco Bay. On the other hand, PIDO recognizes that the lack of a physical barrier to the mudflats allows for a risk of canine incursion into the sensitive environment, despite PIDO’s efforts to educate the public about the rules regarding the mudflats. Long-term harmony between off-leash activities and the environmental resources is essential to maintain long-term dog access to the park as a whole. The proposed fencing could solve the problem without forcing all dogs on-leash, at the expense of high-tide Hoffman Bay access. PIDO also notes that the Project allows for continued water access to the San Francisco Bay at North Point Isabel, in addition to the ample water access on the south side of Point Isabel.

PIDO recommends that EPRPD be more specific about their plans (including the post type, height, screening material, etc.) for fencing that will be both effective and as visually unintrusive as possible.

CONCLUSION

PIDO thanks the EBRPD for its time and attention to this Comment. We look forward to a continuing partnership with the EBRPD to support this invaluable place.

Submit comments to:

Kim Thai, Acting Principal Planner
Planning, Trails, and GIS
East Bay Regional Park District
2950 Peralta Oaks Court
Oakland, CA 94605
Phone: 510-544-2320
Email: kthai@ebparks.org